


Celeste

by Amelia_E_Adler



Series: Shades of Blue [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Air Force, Future Fic, Military, Multi, OC, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 10:47:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30087909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amelia_E_Adler/pseuds/Amelia_E_Adler
Summary: Continuation of Midnight Blue, Azure, and Shades of Blue: Intermission. After returning to her own timeline, Alice Boyd has to deal with the fallout. Chasing and confronting her nemesis will only be a part of her struggle; more than anything, she will have to face her own demons, and who knows where they'll lead her in the end... OC with no AU - futurefic.
Series: Shades of Blue [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/762096
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Celeste

**Author's Note:**

> This is the continuation of my earlier SG fanfics, Midnight Blue, Azure, and Shades of Blue: Intermission, which together make up the series Shades of Blue. It will be (hopefully) the last installment in the series, and potentially the longest. If you haven't read the previous parts, I strongly encourage you to do so as there will be many references to them here.
> 
> As always, this is a story I've told myself countless number of times in different versions, and as I write it, I am discovering it anew. Writing it brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction in itself, but it's hard to deny that I also get a kick out of the fact that y'all actually read it, and so I am immensely grateful for each and every comment, fave and follow. Please do leave a comment if you read it, even if it's just to critique me!
> 
> I do not currently have a beta, so all mistakes are on me.
> 
> Please note the story is supposed to be canonical to the TV shows/movies only. I've never read the books.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Stargate universe or franchise and derive no financial gains from writing and publishing this story. This is purely for entertainment.
> 
> Please give a listen to the song from the Epigraph, it's one of my favorites and it's amazing.
> 
> Enjoy!

# Epigraph

_I would like to run away to a place where_

_The clouds would roll high in the afternoon_

_Where sidewalks light up by the harvest moon_

_I would like to run away to a place where_

_Stars could be seen as a warning_

_Where we could rise clean in the morning_

_The dust storms are spiraling fast_

_Just bury your face in your hands_

_And follow the river that just keeps flowing_

_I would like to find a place where the taste of_

_Blood in my mouth could evaporate_

_Where my soul could just rest from all this weight_

_And then you and I could live in peace_

_Yes, you and I could dine like kings complete again_

_The dust storms are spiraling fast_

_Just bury your face in your hands_

_And follow the fire that just keeps growing..._

_[Charlene Kaye, ‘Bonnie Parker’]_

* * *

# Chapter 1

The sky was shrouded in a thick cover of gray clouds as the plane touched down on the runway in Denver, Colorado. Alice Boyd didn’t even look up from her tablet, though; this was the biggest commercial airport in the entire country, and she knew it would take some time before the aircraft taxied to the gate. Only after they came to a full stop, she sighed, unbuckled her seat belt and stood up to take her bag from the overhead compartment. She could barely reach in deep enough to grab it—her 5’4” frame was not quite up to par. Nevertheless, she managed and followed the river of people trickling down the aisle towards the exit, and then along the jetway and through the various corridors. It seemed like everyone around her was on their phone, either talking or texting, but she resisted the peer pressure until they finally arrived—a train ride later—to the baggage claim area and crowded around one of the carousels. The conveyor belt was still unmoving, so Alice pulled out her phone, too.

_Just landed. You up now?_

The answer came almost instantly. _Barely. How was the flight?_

_Uneventful. Aisle seat. Waiting for my suitcase now._

_Get a cab. You must be tired, you got up so early._

Alice rolled her eyes. _We talked about it, mom. I don’t get tired that easily. Besides, the rental’s already booked._

_Drive safely, please._

_I always do. It’s not that far. Stop worrying._

_I’m your mom, it’s in my job description ;-)_

Alice chuckled and put the phone back in her pocket. The conveyor belt had just sprung into movement and soon enough the bags started meandering slowly between the sea of people standing around. Alice’s was one of the first. She picked it up and walked off, dragging it behind her on its little wheelies.

An hour later she was driving the rented subcompact Chevrolet, wishing it had a little more power under the mask. It was probably the cheapest option—the whole travel was booked for her via DoD’s Travel Management Company; if she were choosing the car herself, she’d pick up something that packed a little more punch. The road was almost empty and putting the pedal to the metal seemed quite tempting, even in this tiny toy of a car. She was still within the city bounds, though, so she kept to the posted speed limit. A moment later, she was glad she did—had she been driving faster, she wouldn’t have been able to stop at the curb after spotting a figure standing on a little patch of yellowish grass between the highway and an exit towards the city.

She rolled the passenger window down, waiting for the hitchhiker to run up. She observed her in the side window: a very tall, slim young woman with a wonderful mass of cornrows with colorful threads braided into them, high-waist fitted jeans and a short black jacket. She had a backpack slung on one shoulder and hugged a cardboard sign with _The Springs_ written on it; it was what made Alice stop.

“Hey, how far are you going?” The woman asked, a little out of breath, and immediately added: “I’ve got gas money.”

Alice smiled to her. “Don’t worry about that. You’re in luck, I’m going all the way to Colorado Springs. Hop in.”

“Awesome, thank you!” She answered as she put her backpack and the sign in the back of the car and climbed in the front. She had to then adjust the position of the seat, her long legs almost up to her chin before she pushed it back.

Alice put the blinker on and joined the traffic.

“I’m Deanna,” the young woman said with a wide grin on her face. “Deanna Taylor.”

“Alice Boyd, nice to meet you.” Alice nodded, throwing her a quick glance. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, pretty and well-dressed, but with dark circles under her beautiful hazel eyes.

“So, are you from the Springs, Alice?” Deanna asked gleefully.

“No, I’m from L.A.”

“L.A.?” The hitchhiker whistled. “You don’t sound like a California _gurrl_ , though?”

Alice chuckled. “We don’t _all_ sound like that. Besides, I’ve been away for so long, and among so many different people, my accent sort of faded a bit.”

“What are you doing here, then? If I were from L.A., I’d never leave there! Certainly not for _Colorado_.” And she made a face.

“I don’t exactly have a say in the matter. My job is here. Sort of.” Alice added as an afterthought and changed the subject. “What about you? What’s in Colorado Springs?”

“A new life, hopefully,” Deanna replied with disarming earnestness. “I know a guy who knows a guy in the Springs who needs a pair of hands to work. So he’s getting mine.” She twirled her fingers expressively.

“So you’re moving for a job, then?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Deanna shrugged. “But you know, it’s all the things… new place, new people… a new beginning.”

Alice nodded thoughtfully. She wasn’t going to pry, of course, but it sounded to her more like the girl was running away from something—her own mistakes, perhaps—than looking for new professional challenges.

“So what do you do for work, Deanna?”

“Call me Dee, everyone does,” she replied joyfully. She seemed like a very energetic and happy person. She made Alice think of her brother, Jake, who also possessed that naturally sunny disposition. “I’m a seamstress. But that’s just a temporary title—what I really would like to do is fashion design.” A blissful smile crept up onto her face. “Can you imagine—a runway somewhere famous, like Paris or New York, and a line of beautiful models, all wearing my creations…” She laughed nervously. “That’s a pipe dream, of course. I’m just lucky that I can have any job in this economy. If I can find a cheap apartment that isn’t going to be a total shit, I’m gonna be happy!”

“That’s not a high bar, there,” Alice noted. “I think you should pursue a career as a fashion designer, if that’s what you want to do.”

“It’s not that easy.” Deanna rolled her eyes. “You need a degree, you know. Opportunities. Money.”

“Then why not stay in Denver? It should afford more opportunities than Colorado Springs, surely?” Alice shook her head. “Or why not move somewhere else, like New York?”

“Hello, money?” The girl rubbed her fingers together in a universal gesture for cash. “I can’t stay in Denver, though it’s where I grew up; I need a fresh start. But I also need a job. So, The Springs it is!”

“Right.” Alice nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound judgmental. I’m just trying to understand.” She smiled nervously, keeping her eyes on the road. “I’m not that good at conversation.”

“Oh, pshh, no worries.” Deanna waved her hand dismissively. Her expressive gesticulation made Alice think of Colonel Bolton, her squadron commander during her time on the _Prometheus_. “ _I_ think you’re doing great in this conversation!” She laughed. “But you shouldn’t say! You work in the Springs, too, you said!”

“Well, not exactly. I am hoping I can persuade my superiors to let me work elsewhere.”

“Oh, really? That’s a bummer.” She looked genuinely crestfallen. “And here I was hoping I’d have a buddy in town! You know, we could go out and get coffee sometime, or go out dancing, or something. I don’t really know anyone there.” The candid vulnerability in her tone pulled at Alice’s heartstrings.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of friends to hang out with, though. You’re such a warm person, it’s hard not to like you,” she reassured the girl.

“Oooh, you really think so? That’s so sweet!” Deanna clapped her hands in joy. “I’m so happy that you stopped for me! It can be scary, you know, getting in with a stranger…”

Alice nodded. “I’m glad I stopped for you, too.” And, she realized, she genuinely was—which was such an alien feeling lately that she almost laughed at herself.

At that moment there was a sound of police siren behind them. Alice looked into her mirror, cursed, and started slowing down until they stopped on the shoulder.

“Are we getting pulled over?” Deanna asked and her voice made Alice take a closer look at her. The young woman looked different: her brilliant smile was gone, replaced with an expression of concern and fear, her whole frame suddenly smaller, as if she withdrew into herself; and she immediately put her hands on the glove box. The change was instant and so obvious that Alice’s heart ached once more.

Deanna watched her with wide eyes as Alice grabbed her purse from the backseat and started pulling out her wallet.

“Don’t worry, everything is fine,” Alice reassured her, but it didn’t seem to calm Deanna. She continued to simply stare with wide eyes, and Alice recognized it as a trauma response. She’d done it often enough in the past few weeks herself to know exactly what the girl was going through at the moment.

She rolled down her window and killed the engine, then put her hands on the steering wheel and waited for the cop to come up.

He approached slowly, with one hand on an open holster. He relaxed a little when he saw Alice, but did not fasten the holster and kept his hand loose along his side.

“License and registration, please.”

“Hello, officer,” Alice replied and handed over the documents. “Can I ask why we are being pulled over, sir?”

He took a quick look at the documents before replying. “A car of the same make and model was involved in a robbery earlier today.”

“I see. This is a rental, though.”

“The witness didn’t get the plates. The car fits the description.” The cop looked inside the car again, giving Alice only a perfunctory glance and instead fixing on Deanna. She sat rigidly still, without looking up. “Where are you coming from?”

“I just flew in from California,” Alice replied, trying to sound natural. “Dee met me at the airport and we’ve been driving ever since. When was the robbery?”

“Around eight-ish,” the cop was still looking at Deanna. “When did you meet exactly?”

“My flight arrived at eight-thirty and I rented the car maybe half an hour later.”

“Hmpf,” he said and started looking at Alice’s license again. “And where are you headed?”

“Colorado Springs, sir.”

“Why not fly in directly, then?”

Alice told herself to be patient, though the questions became more and more invasive and she could not see the point in them. “The first flight from LAX into Colorado Springs is in the afternoon and I need to be there before noon.”

“Why?” He swatted at a fly with Alice’s license. “Why are you two going there?”

“Why does it matter?” Alice demanded, her patience wearing thin already. In the recent times she became much more short-fused than ever before.

“I’ll be asking the questions, miss,” he answered dismissively.

Alice’s blood boiled, but she took a deep, calming breath, and didn’t reply.

“So? Why are the two of you going to the Springs?”

“We’re going to look at houses,” Alice lied smoothly, making Deanna finally look at her, her eyes still wide and fearful. “We’re friends, we want to rent something together to make it cheaper. We have a showing at noon.”

The cop frowned, glanced at Deanna, and then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“What is that supposed to mean, _officer_?” She needed another calming breath to stop her voice from sounding too furious.

“Nothing, miss.” His tone was so condescending it made it so much harder for Alice to keep her cool, but her voice was cold when she replied:

“Actually, sir, it’s _Captain_. Captain Alice Boyd, United States Air Force.”

“ _You_ ’re in the Air Force?” He huffed.

“Yes, sir. Should I show you my credentials? Do you want to call my commanding officer? Is there anything else I can do to prove our innocence in the matter you seem so eager at investigating?”

Her cutting words didn’t seem to impress him, but, apparently, the threat of being in the wrong with an Air Force officer was enough for him to relent. He handed her documents back reluctantly.

“Drive safely, ma’am,” he said and walked off, without a word of apology. Alice waited for him to get back to his car and drive off before she turned to Deanna.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am,” she replied in a shaky voice. “I’m sorry for freaking out like that. It’s just that…” She shook her head, as if unable to speak.

“I know.” Alice tried to make her tone soothing, despite the fact that she still shook with anger. “It’s okay.”

“But you lied to him!” Deanna kept shaking her head. “Why would you do that?”

Alice turned on the engine and joined the traffic before replying. “He only stopped us because the car looked similar to something used in a crime a few hours ago. But I saw the way he looked at you. He wouldn’t have done that if we were both white.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Deanna agreed bitterly. “And if I were driving alone, I’d probably already be on the ground, restrained, or maybe even dead. Like my daddy.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice said and for a long moment they were both silent.

Deanna chose to break the silence first. “It was almost seven years ago. He wasn’t doing anything really bad, just had a bit of pot in his car. They killed him for it. Said he was _resisting arrest_ , so they had to _restrain_ him. They said his heart gave out—but it wouldn’t have if they weren’t choking him, you know? It wouldn’t have."

Alice, without moving her eyes off the road, reached out and squeezed Deanna’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Dee.”

“I’ve been terrified of cops ever since,” the girl mumbled, holding Alice’s hand tightly. “They’re no good.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Alice replied, still working to smother the fury inside.

Deanna shook her head, smiled, gave Alice’s hand one more squeeze and then let go. “No, honey, you’re fine, you’re one of the good guys. Not only did you pick me up on the road, a total stranger, but you lied to a cop for me. Although, I have to tell you, I wouldn’t mind if that could be true! I’d make an excellent roommate, you know.” She grinned at Alice, though her words were still a bit shaky.

Alice forced a laugh. “That would be lovely, but I’m afraid it’s not possible. Of course, that depends how the conversation with my superiors goes…”

“Right—so that part’s true, isn’t it? You’re really a soldier?”

Alice smiled indulgently. “An airman, actually. Soldiers are in the Army, I’m in the Air Force. Anyway, in the end, that’s what made him drop the matter. Air Force has a bit of influence in and around Colorado Springs.”

“Because of the Academy?”

“That, and there are two Air Force bases nearby: Peterson and Schriever. There’s also Fort Carson, an Army installation, and NORAD under the Cheyenne Mountain.” Alice felt her lips curve in a lopsided smile when mentioning the mountain. “The locals may be a little tired of us, but the Air Force is a major employer in the area, even for civilians.”

“Seems like you know quite a bit about the city,” Deanna remarked.

“Not really. I’ve been in and out over the years.” Alice decided it was time to change the subject, as they were coming dangerously close to uncomfortable territory where she would have to start lying. “Anyway, I hear it’s a nice place to live. Excellent choice for a fresh start.”

“Isn’t it, though?” Deanna enthused. It seemed like she was back to being her old sunny self; and although Alice still felt the anger bubbling under her skin, it was difficult to stay in a bad mood around such a bright personality. Once again, she thought of Jake—he had a similar effect on her. “I’m going to need to find a place to live—I have a bit of cash to get me going the first couple weeks, even if I have to stay in the hostel all this time, and then I’ll start getting my wages…”

She launched into a detailed description of her plans for the near future and Alice listened, only asking a question here and there. The cheerful chatter helped her finally relax and let go of the anger. She knew it wasn’t healthy to hold onto negative emotions like that, but she was finding it difficult to stop lately.

They had just passed Monument when Deanna’s stream of thought finally ran dry and she lapsed into silence, looking out the window. It wasn’t long, though, until she became excited again.

“Is that the Springs already?” She pointed at a cluster of low, long buildings, with a single taller one behind, barely visible from the road.

“That’ll be the Academy,” Alice replied. “See that thing there, looks like a big tent, or a row of spires? That’s the Cadet Chapel. It’s pretty remarkable.”

“Can a civilian like me see the Academy?” Deanna enthused. “Can you show it to me? That must be your old stomping grounds, isn’t it?”

“It’s open for tourists, anyone can visit.” Alice shrugged. “I don’t know it very well, I’ve never gone there. I got a degree from a civilian college first, so after I joined up, I was sent to Maxwell Air Base in Alabama for Officer Training School. I’ve been to the Academy a few times over the years, but as a visitor only.”

“Oooh, I thought all officers had to go to the Academy, I didn’t know you could do that!”

Alice smiled. “Yeah, it’s pretty competitive—more so even than the Academy itself—but the option’s there. There’s also something called AFROTC, which means Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, that’s basically when you go to a civilian college but at the same time you’re part of an Air Force detachment—with their own cadet wing and squadrons—and you attend military training _in addition_ to the normal classes in college. My cousin Toby did that.”

“Ooh, that sounds interesting, but really tough! Like, I imagine college is already pretty difficult, and then you have additional stuff!” Deanna shook her head. “But it’s nice that your cousin followed into your footsteps!”

“He wants to be an astronaut, though I suspect part of it was also that he wanted to stick it to his old man. My uncle Simon is in the Army and wanted Toby to go to West Point,” Alice explained, seeing Deanna’s raised eyebrows.

“Oh, wow, a proper military family!”

“You have no idea.” Alice smiled crookedly. “Simon’s in the Army, Toby and I in the Air Force, my brother Jake is in the Marine Corps, and I even have a second cousin in the Coast Guard. And my dad was in the Navy—all branches of the military in one family, see?”

Deanna didn’t miss the past tense. “Your dad is gone?”

“Yeah, been sixteen years in April,” Alice replied lightly. “He was an aviator, too, his fighter crashed into the deck of a carrier in a storm.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry… Seems like we’re both fatherless, then. It sucks.”

“Yes, it does.” Alice sighed. “That’s sort of why I chose this path. Part of it was that I loved to fly, plain and simple, I loved the thrill of it, the solitude up there, the feeling like you’re on top of the world, when the horizon goes on forever… but part of it is because it was my dad that first took me up flying, in a borrowed Cessna, when I was still a little girl, and every time I go up, I feel closer to him.”

“My dad was a good-for-nothing crook, my mom always said,” Deanna confessed, but her voice was warm. “He was always scheming, always had some little business on the side, nothing ever came of it but trouble, but… but I loved him anyway, you know? He was my daddy.”

“Of course.” Alice threw her a reassuring look and a smile. “People don’t lose their value to us just because they don’t conform to the pressures of the society around them. I’m sure he loved you to bits.” She shook her head. “We’re in Colorado Springs—where exactly do you want to go?”

“Oh, I have a hostel booked.” Deanna pulled her phone out and read off the address. “Do you know where it is?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the main thoroughfares in town. We’ll be there in two minutes.”

Almost exactly two minutes later, Alice pulled into one of the parking spots in front of the hostel.

“Here we are!” Deanna clapped her hands. “Thank you so much for everything—I owe you big time. Oh, and how much do you want for gas? I figure it was something like fifty miles, so…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Alice waved her hand dismissively. “Uncle Sam pays for this trip, it will be hardly any worse for your presence in the car.”

“Well, if you’re sure—thank you!” Deanna reached to the backseat, took her backpack and got out of the vehicle. “Good luck with your conversation today.”

“Good luck with your fresh start,” Alice replied, smiled and waved. Deanna answered with a wave of her own, closed the door and walked jauntily off. Alice was still smiling when she got back on her way towards the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

*

Changed into her class A service dress uniform and having left both her suitcase and carry-on bag in the locker room, Alice made her way through the underground facility to the Level 27 and stood in front of General Landry’s office. With her cap under her left arm, she brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear and knocked.

“Come in!” Came the response from inside.

Alice opened the door, stepped in, stood at attention and saluted. “Sir, Captain Boyd reporting as ordered!”

Landry sat in his leather chair, dressed in his blues with a pilot jacket on the backrest and a pile of papers stacked on the desk, a folder open right in front of him. He returned the salute and waved at Alice to sit.

“Welcome back, Captain. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, sir, thank you,” Alice replied curtly, hoping he wouldn’t ask for any details.

To her relief, he didn’t. “Good. Thank you for coming, I know you still have a week of leave, but there is something I need to discuss with you.” And he fished out another folder from a pile on his desk and handed it to her. “These photos were taken by SG-12 while undercover on a mission to infiltrate a Lucian Alliance-controlled world.”

Alice opened the folder and looked at the first picture. It showed a typical offworld landscape, with a great field of corn stretching almost until the horizon, where a few wooden houses stood, and ringed with a dark forest. At first, Alice didn’t know what was so special about the photo, but then she noticed a few tiny figures crowded near one of the buildings. They were too far off to see who they were, but there was something familiar about the outline of one of them. She put the photo down and picked up another. It was a blow-up of the first one. It was pretty grainy, but she could recognize it nevertheless.

“Wraith,” she stated and took the last picture in the folder. It was still the same blow-up, but digitally enhanced enough that more details were visible—features of a face… a face she still saw in her nightmares. “That’s Jareth,” she added, putting a lot of effort to sound calm.

Landry nodded. “That’s what we thought, too. Do you have any idea how he could have survived the explosion of his Ancient ship?”

Alice swallowed first, before summoning all her strength to reply in a measured voice. She kept her eyes down, fixed on the last photo. “There was a lot of disturbance in the area after the explosion, and the _Gagarin_ was seriously damaged, it might have affected the sensors. It is possible that Jareth fled on a Dart… though it is also possible that he had his Jumper cloaked and stowed in another cargo hold, and used that to escape.”

Landry nodded again. “You know him better than anyone, and you’ve got a unique perspective. I asked you here because I want to hear your preliminary threat assessment, now that we know he’s still out there. Do you think that we’re still heading towards a full-scale invasion, like you saw in the future?”

Alice shook her head slowly, but didn’t speak immediately. She continued to look at the photo in her hands, as if it could offer any clues, her mind churning. Landry didn’t interrupt her silent meditation. It was a full minute before she broke the silence.

“Many different factors played a role in how events unraveled in the future I’ve seen,” she began cautiously. “I believe that among the main ingredients was the fact that they didn’t know about the Wraith infestation of our galaxy for quite some time. We _do_ know already that they’re here, so we have an advantage. It’s not much—we still don’t know _where_ they are, but at least we can start looking for them. We also have the benefit of hindsight—there are actions we may take to mitigate the risk of the history repeating itself, in a manner of speaking.” She finally looked up at the general. “But the _main_ reason why this future-alternative Earth was unable to stop the Wraith was that Jareth managed to build a cloning facility in our galaxy. The Earth, much like Atlantis when it had been in the hands of the Ancients, was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. There is a reason why the only Wraith _I_ met in the future were warriors—they are the caste that is typically created in cloning pods. This also means that Jareth must have secured cooperation with at least one queen—only they are able to fertilize the pods which are then used to clone vast numbers of drones. We destroyed Jareth’s ship, along with the ZPMs. As far as I know, he only ever created one cloning facility, and that suggests that he only had the three ZPMs. If that’s correct—and I’m inclined to believe that it is—then he will not be able to create an army of the size that had wiped out most of the life in our galaxy in the future.”

“Good, then invasion is off the table!” Landry remarked in his normal gruff voice.

Alice shrugged. “Jareth may not possess the same kind of military force as he did in the alternative timeline, but we cannot underestimate him. It is more than likely that he had crossed the void between our galaxies multiple times before we had caught up to him, ferrying Wraith. If that’s true, then he’ll already have a base of operations somewhere in the Milky Way. If one of those that he had carried over here was a queen, then she may be trying to create more Wraith—and even without resorting to cloning, queens can produce multiple offspring in a short time. Remember also that Jareth has powers beyond those of ordinary Wraith; he may build an army with humans, Jaffa, or even other species in our galaxy—we don’t know how his abilities affect non-humans. He is also smart enough to not come at us right away; he will build his position here slowly, continuing his research in the meantime. As of now, we know that his mind-bending has certain proximity limitations: his subjects need to be within a few hundred yards, possibly more, otherwise the link snaps and they are left in a near-vegetative state. But I will bet my yearly salary that he is hard at work trying to increase the range of his abilities.”

“I won’t take that bet,” the general said soberly. “So you think he is still a significant threat?”

“Yes, sir. He’s smarter than Michael had been—Michael kept going against Atlantis in open skirmishes, so to speak, but Jareth operates in the shadows and won’t take direct action against us until he is sure he is ready. He also has an uncanny ability to adapt other species’ technology. He was able to modify an Ancient ship’s hyperdrive from interstellar to intergalactic. The fact that he needed an Ancient drive to begin with and didn’t do it with an ordinary Hive ship may suggest that he just doesn’t know how to boost the Wraith drive in the same way, but it may have also been a matter of convenience. Either way, who’s to say he won’t be able to do it if he puts his mind into it? He may also capture a Goa’uld vessel and try to adapt _their_ technology, and remember that it’s largely based on the Ancients’. Eventually, he might be able to create a ship—or even a fleet of ships—capable of crossing the void back to the Pegasus, and bringing back even more Wraith.”

“I don’t like those eventualities.” Landry frowned. “What would you recommend we do, then?”

“Off the top of my head?” Alice shrugged again. “Find and kill Jareth, plain and simple. The Wraith are clever and may eventually be able to figure some of it out by themselves, especially if he shared his research with them—though I seriously doubt he would—but without him, they would not be such a huge threat, or at least not immediately. The Lanteans’ mistake at the dawn of the Wraith as a species was that they allowed them to spread and grow in numbers—and when they realized what they’d done, it was too late. The same pattern repeated with the alternative timeline—they just didn’t know and didn’t act quickly enough. We _have_ the benefit of hindsight, twice over. We have to avoid making the same mistake. We _have to_ find a way to eliminate them, and soon, before they become an unstoppable force.” She wondered for a moment if that was the _mistake_ Vivian, the Ancient she had met in the future, had spoken about; but then dismissed the thought to focus on the present.

“Well, so that is what we shall do!” Landry agreed. “That’s why I’ve designated the SG teams four, seven and fourteen to deal solely with the Wraith threat!”

“Yes, sir, about that.” Alice squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I was wondering if I could have a word with you about my assignment.”

“Yes, what about it?”

“Sir, I really think I should go back to Atlantis.” She pulled a wad of papers from her pocket and laid it carefully down on the desk in front of her. “But according to these orders, I am to report _here_.”

“I know, I signed them.” Landry didn’t look too happy to have his will questioned. “You said it yourself, the Wraith are a major threat to Earth, to this whole galaxy! I am not going to go pulling resources away from under Cox, but we need an expert, and you’re it!”

“But, sir, I was under the impression that my ability to control Ancient technology was rather important for Atlantis’ defenses…”

“That may have been true a couple years ago,” the general leaned back in his chair. “But you have outgrown those circumstances, Captain. Like it or not, aside perhaps from Sheppard himself, you _are_ the foremost expert on the Wraith, and surely on those in this galaxy; you know what they will do, or at least would have done if we didn’t interfere. More than that, you know Jareth, you know the way he thinks! _And_ you’re the _only_ person we definitely know about who can resist his mind-bending abilities. Your ATA gene may even come in handy if we need to use the Drone Chair.”

Alice was shaking her head slowly, feeling hot and cold at the same time. She tried her last prepared argument. “But, sir, I have so many open projects there…”

“I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to continue them here.” Landry straightened up and put his hands on the desk, leaning forward. “What it is about, then, Captain, really? You don’t fancy having your own command, is that it?”

“No, sir.” She shook her head more vehemently. “It’s not that, it’s just that… Atlantis is… it’s my home.”

He huffed. “No, Captain. Earth is your home. America is your home. And it is in danger, and you swore an oath to protect it.”

Technically, she swore to protect the _Constitution_ of the United States, but it was always understood to represent the country. Therefore, with this dictum, he effectively quashed all of her resistance. She looked away, feeling the air go out of her. He was right, of course—she did swear an oath. It was more than just simply following orders—it was a sacred duty that she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, give up.

But there was more. She had seen what happened—what still could happen, if Jareth went unchecked. And she had seen it all stand and teeter on one decision—her decision. The very memory of it still made her feel like she had just got a gut-punch. The decision that had changed everything—not just for the world, but for _her_. She sacrificed a life to keep the Earth safe. She sacrificed a love, a future that would never be, as a result of that sacrifice. She paid that price—so how could she refuse anything else, now, that could help to make it worth it all? She had a responsibility to make sure that it wasn’t in vain.

She blinked quickly and swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. “Yes, sir,” was the only thing she managed to utter.

He nodded curtly. “Good. Now, while we’re on this subject, I guess I can already let you know what your team is going to be.” He swiveled around in his chair and opened a drawer in the cabinet behind him. He pulled out a folder from there, and handed it to Alice.

She took it gingerly, quite unsure if she wanted to know. In spite of all things pointing to the contrary, she had hoped that she would be able to persuade General Landry to let her go back to Atlantis. Getting reassigned to the SGC was never in her plans. She didn’t even like the base—it felt stifling and claustrophobic to her. There were no windows, no possibility to feel the wind or the sun on her face while sitting with her laptop in her lab; the military protocol was much stricter than in Atlantis; and, most importantly, she hardly knew anyone on the base. She had made a home for herself on Atlantis; her brother was still there, all her friends and valued colleagues… and the memory of Karim, she had to admit. Atlantis was where they had met, where they had fallen for each other—and where they had spent so many blissful moments. It was odd—when Robert, Jake’s boyfriend and member of an SG team, had died, Jake could not stand being in the same place that they had shared. Alice was the opposite: she couldn’t imagine being away. And yet, she’d have to, now…

She opened the folder and quickly flicked through the pages. The first few were cheat sheets on the history of the SG-7; what its previous members had been, what sort of major missions they’d done. The last three were personnel snapshots: a small photo, name, rank, and short service history.

“You’ll get the full personnel files and a complete briefing when you report back after the assessment and training,” the general said as she scanned the three pages. “Lieutenant Rodriguez was in the top three of his class at the Academy last year, a very bright young man, one of the best we’ve had recently. Senior Airman Morgan is even younger, but he has been with SG-7 for about six months, and you’ll have Technical Sergeant Watson to support you, he’s got over twelve years of experience under his belt, been with the SGC almost half that time.”

Alice looked at the photo of the sergeant and realized that, indeed, she vaguely recognized his face. She must have seen him around the base before, though she was quite sure they’d never spoke.

An NCO who knows the job better than her, a zoomie, and a boot. She restrained the urge to roll her eyes. She had been fantasizing about getting her own command—but not on Earth, and not of a team like this! Still, it could have been worse—they all could have been butterbars or slick-sleeves.

“Thank you, sir,” Alice said, trying to sound neutral, as she handed the folder back to him.

Landry nodded. “Two more things. During your absence in _this_ timeline, the promotion boards have been gathered and you have been selected for advancement. It’s already been confirmed by the Senate and the pinning-on is planned for the beginning of June. Congratulations.”

“Oh. Thank you, sir,” Alice replied distractedly. Of course—she had forgotten about the promotions. She had become eligible in September, having acquired nine years of Time-In-Service, and she met all the criteria, but there had been no board convened until March, due to some political kerfuffle at the top that Alice never really got the full story on. Up until the rank of captain, promotions were automatic, but the jump to major was competitive and required a number of steps, one of which was being selected by a board of higher rank officers who reviewed the performance, professional qualities, achievements, demonstrated leadership skills and education of each individual being considered for promotion. Alice had known for months that the board was coming, eventually, and expected to be selected; but with her trip into the future and the subsequent convalescent leave, she had completely forgotten about it.

“On that note,” the general continued after a brief pause. “The President himself directed General O’Neill to ensure that your actions in the future timeline and your efforts against Jareth in this one don’t go unrewarded. Therefore, it has been decided that you shall receive a Bronze Star, I understand it would be your second, so an oak leaf cluster.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.” Alice looked down, unsure how to react. Getting recognized was always nice, but she never felt like she deserved any awards, and this time it was even more complicated. Her actions and her decisions led to a man’s death, and not just any man’s— _her_ man’s, _her_ love’s. It marred everything with a bitter twinge.

“You are also entitled to the, I believe, second device on your Purple Heart,” Landry added. “We’ll try to sort out the decoration around the same time as the promotion ceremony so you can invite your family and friends, for once.”

“Thank you, sir,” Alice said and bit her tongue before adding _but it’s not necessary_. Borden once told her that she needed to learn to accept the good things that happen, and, surely, being able to share such moments with people close to her was good, wasn’t it? None of the decoration ceremonies she’d had up till now were open for public; first it was her F-302 squadron and Groom Lake scientists, and then the Atlantis expedition. Her mom was present at her promotion to captain, as this had happened during her stint at the Air Force Institute of Technology, but they didn’t make it a big thing. Maybe she needed a big thing. Maybe she needed anything that distracted her from the bitter grief that seemed to overshadow her entire life as soon as she let her mind wander.

“Any questions?” Landry asked.

“I left some personal things at Atlantis. My research’s there, too,” Alice remarked. “Will I be allowed to go back to collect it?”

“Yes, once you’re officially back on active duty. I can’t have you going there while you’re on convalescent leave. That is all. You’re dismissed, Captain.”

“Sir.” Alice nodded, got up and walked out of the room without another word.

*

Checked into the Air Force Inn at the Peterson Air Base, Alice took a shower and then sat on the bed in her room, replaying the conversation with Landry in her head, wondering if there was something she could have done to change the outcome, pondering the fact that Jareth was still out there, worrying over her new position as a team leader. And, behind it all, there loomed the dark cloud that was always with her nowadays: a mixture of grief, bitterness, guilt, and fear, all jumbled together into a Gordian knot; except she had no sword to cut it off.

As time wore off, she tried to occupy herself: she read half a book but then got bored and left it unfinished; reading the news made her feel even worse; she turned on the TV but it only made her head ache. Eventually, she decided to go for a stroll, but then changed her mind and got into her car to go for a drive. Somehow, without realizing what she was doing, she ended up in front of the hostel where she had deposited Deanna. She sat there for a moment, her inbred reluctance for social situations fighting with the need to distract her mind from the dark cloud of worry and grief.

After a good five minutes just sitting there, engine going, she finally turned it off and got out of the car. She walked into the hostel and straight into the common area just behind the reception desk—nobody stopped her. She figured the common area would be the most likely place to find Deanna, and, indeed, the girl was there, sitting alone on one of the sofas, headphones in her ears, a sketching pad in her hands, moving to the beat inaudible to anyone but her. Alice marched straight towards her and dropped onto an armchair next to her. Deanna didn’t notice her at first, but then she looked up, then down, and then back up, with an expression of joyful surprise.

“Alice!” She squealed with delight, pulling the earphones out. “What are you doing here? I thought I’d never see you again!”

Alice smiled and it was almost genuine. “I failed in my mission. Could’ve known, really, but I guess I clung to faint hope against all odds. I’m staying in Colorado Springs, after all, and I figured—well, I could probably use a roommate.”

Deanna’s eyebrows went all the way up. “You mean me?”

“Yeah, why not? You seemed eager to, earlier…”

“But I was only joking! Never in a million years I’d’ve thought—I mean, that’s a lovely thought, but you don’t even know me!”

Alice shrugged. “I don’t know anyone in town, really, outside of the military. And you remind me of my brother—you have the same sort of naturally sunny disposition. You certainly seem like a good person. It’s enough for me. People often get roommates they’d never even met and it works out just fine.” She hesitated. “Unless you don’t want to, which is fine,” she rushed to add.

“No, no, of course I do!” Deanna laughed, but there was still more shock in her face than anything else. “But I, like… I can’t afford much. I was thinking of a room in town, nothing fancy, you know…”

“Well, I was thinking maybe something in or around Broadmoor? Something with a sizeable backyard with a view on the mountains, three bedrooms so we can have family or friends over…”

Deanna laughed again, this time nervously. “I could never afford that. I could maaaaybe manage eight hundred dollars a month, so…”

“Good, that’ll be enough.” Alice shrugged again. “I’ll pay the rest.”

Deanna looked at her as if Alice has just sprouted a new head. “You’re making fun of me?”

“No, of course not. I mean it.”

“I… I don’t know what to say, but… I can’t. I can’t accept that.”

Alice blinked quickly. “Why not?” And then hurried to add: “I understand if you simply don’t want to live with me, I know I’m perhaps not the most fun person to be around…”

“Oh stop it!” Deanna looked distressed for a moment. “ _Of course_ it’s not that, I’d love to have you as a roommate! You’re such a good and sweet person, who wouldn’t? But… clearly you want a higher standard of living than I can afford, which is fine, and, like, obviously, but I can’t accept such… generosity!”

“Why?” Alice shrugged off her leather jacket and put it on the backrest of the armchair she was occupying; it was hot in the room. “Why would you rather take up room in some overcrowded dump than stay with me?”

Deanna opened her mouth as if she wanted to reply, but nothing came and she closed it.

“Trust me, I can afford it,” Alice added with a smile. “I just got word from my CO—I’m getting promoted. _And_ I have a housing allowance. It won’t cover the entire rent, but it’ll easily pay for at least half of it. It doesn’t make much difference to me if I am to rent alone or with you. And I—“ she hesitated “—I want you to stay with me.”

“Why?”

Alice sighed. “Because it’s not something I would usually do. In fact it’s _very_ unlike me. And right now… I don’t want to be the old me.”

Deanna looked at her discerningly, and her beautiful hazel eyes suddenly had the same penetrating depth that Alice used to see in Karim’s; her heart skipped a beat and she had to turn away.

“What happened to you?” Deanna asked, but immediately checked herself. “No, I’m sorry, that’s none of my business. Forget I asked.”

Alice made herself look back at her and smile. It was a very sad smile. “You’re right, something did happen to me. I’m not ready to talk about it yet… I don’t know if I ever will.” She wet her lips, for they suddenly had become dry. “And I don’t know how to deal with it, I’ve never been good with things like emotions and stuff… but I know that I feel better when I talk to you. You… radiate positivity. Even though it’s clear bad things happened to you too. Maybe you can teach me.” She had to push herself to finish this little speech. She hated being vulnerable. And yet something deep inside compelled her to speak, to bare her soul before this kind stranger. She’s never been good with people—never a good judge of character; but all of her instincts told her Deanna was trustworthy.

And Deanna surprised her again. All throughout their conversation, she was holding her sketchbook in her lap; she now flung it to the side, jumped on her feet, and embraced Alice in a tight, if a little awkward, hug. “Oh, honey, I’ll do my best,” she said into Alice’s ear and then pulled out. “Clearly, you’re in a desperate need of a friend. And by God, I shall be one for you!” And she went in for another hug.

*

The house was a warm shade of caramel brown, with white trims and dark saffron roof. It had two stories, a two-car garage, a big bright green front lawn, and an even bigger backyard with a few trees and a view of the mountains. There was a porch in the front and a large veranda on the back. Inside, it had hardwood floors both down– and upstairs, a real fireplace, a basement and a tiny attic, where Alice and Deanna moved some of the house owner’s furniture to make space for their own. Most of it was bought by Alice, but Deanna contributed with smaller additions and accessories (a lot of them handmade) that brightened up the place, and made it feel more cozy and homely. It would take them weeks to furnish everything to their liking, but they ordered the essential things to be delivered right before moving in.

The house was available only from the beginning of June, so Alice had spent the three weeks between the end of her convalescent leave and the moving-in day at the Air Force guest lodging at Peterson. After being out of commission for six weeks (plus four months, but that fact was not widely known), and before she officially took over as a leader of an SG team, she had needed to go through a full medical and mental status exam, and, once passed, she had had to attend additional training, organized by the SGC on the Air Force Academy grounds. In the meantime, Deanna had stayed at the hostel and began her work at the local tailor’s—and texted Alice a few times a day, not minding rarely getting any reply until late in the evening.

Their ordered stuff arrived at the house on Saturday, June 2nd, and Alice and Deanna spent the entire weekend unpacking and putting everything into order. They were both too tired to hang out too long that evening, but the next day, after many hours of labor making sure everything was perfect in their new nest, they both sat down on the veranda and watched the sun sink behind the outline of the mountains. Deanna had made mojitos and they sipped at their drinks quietly for a long moment.

“I still can’t quite believe it,” Deanna first broke the silence. “All this! This beautiful house, in this beautiful neighborhood, and this poor old me in it!” She shook her head vehemently. “I must be dreaming or something.”

“Well, if it’s a good dream, enjoy it and don’t try to wake up.” Alice shrugged.

“Yeah, but it’s like, it’s too good to be true? Makes me nervous. Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?”

“No shoe-dropping here.” Alice smiled lazily. It had been good three weeks, very busy—no time to think. Her mind was pleasantly blank.

“No, but it’s like… I’m this awkwardly tall black hitchhiker you’ve picked up at the side of the road, and you’ve taken me in like a stray dog… you took care of me, even though you don’t really know me, don’t know anything about me… and now I’m living in this palace with the kindest soul on the planet?” Deanna laughed joyfully.

“Hardly.” Alice rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “A palace would have more spires,” she quipped.

Deanna chuckled, but then grew more serious. “I promise you, as soon as I start earning a bit better, I’ll chip in to the rent more…”

“Oh, stop it.” Alice waved her hand and took a sip of her mojito. “I told you, I can afford it.”

“Yeah, but see, I heard that the military doesn’t pay all that well?” The intonation made it a question.

“I’m an officer, Dee, and I’m about to be promoted, that’s a significant pay bump. And I get allowances, too.” Not just the standard ones, like the housing allowance, but also Hazardous Duty, Imminent Danger, and Assignment Incentive Pay, which was how the Air Force tried to compensate those who worked for the Stargate Program. Plus, really, in the past three years she hardly spent anything; it wasn’t like there was a Walmart on Atlantis. She helped her mom a bit, but mom didn’t really want to accept cash, so instead Alice and Jake sent money to their uncles and trusted neighbors to keep mom supplied with food, medication and art materials, and paid the utility and medical bills. Still, it was just a fraction of what Alice was making, especially that the entire family chipped in to cover those expenses; not to mention that mom was back to work herself. She had good days and bad days, and the help from her family allowed her the freedom to pick and choose projects she wanted to do; she was a graphic artist and a painter.

“Still.” Deanna put her empty glass on the table and stretched. “It hardly seems fair that I get to have my own bedroom and bathroom and all, but I don’t even cover a quarter of the cost.”

“More often than not you’ll have the house all to yourself,” Alice remarked offhandedly.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Alice shrugged. “I always work a lot, I don’t expect that to change here; especially that I’m getting additional responsibilities. So I’ll probably be off early and back late most days.” She stood up and collected Deanna’s glass alongside her own. “And on that note, I think I need to get myself to bed. Big day tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!”

*

Alice woke up early on Monday to get ready without any rush. Her stomach refused any idea of a breakfast, so she merely drank a cup of coffee, showered and dressed—normal civilian clothing for the ride to the base. Her new car wasn’t _new_ new, she bought it used, but it wasn’t very old and it still looked very decent—unlike Deanna’s old clunker that she’d got on the cheap from a shady dealer; Alice offered to lend her cash to buy something that wasn’t going to die in a few months, but Deanna didn’t want to hear about it. Alice was beginning to realize that money was a touchy subject with her new roommate; never having been poor, she never really thought much about it, but clearly Deanna’s world was much different in that regard.

Even though their new home was under two miles away from the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex as the crow flies, the drive up the winding road was nearly five miles. Still, twelve minutes with no traffic to speak of was not half bad—especially for someone who grew up in Los Angeles. Having an assigned parking spot was also very nice, even though it wasn’t too close to the entrance. She opted to walk inside instead of hopping on a van that went in and out of the base, ferrying people, and then had to crowd in two elevators to get all the way down to the Level 19 to change.

Despite having been on the base before, she was given an official orientation tour; a strapping young staff sergeant showed her around, and eventually led her to her personal quarters on Level 25 (all SG team members had a room on the base, even if they lived in town) and then to her office/laboratory on Level 19. The room was almost bare, except for some file cabinets along one wall, a long table in the middle, and a desk with a stationary computer stuffed into the corner.

Alice dismissed the sergeant and stood, alone, in the middle of the room, feeling a bit oppressed by the dark walls, trying to push away the unwelcome memories of her first-ever mission after being assigned to Atlantis, when she and Karim had been lost in an underground maze of buried corridors, plagued with a hallucinogenic gas and a hungry monster on their trail…

The sound of someone clearing their throat from behind her brought her back to the present with a jolt. She turned around and beheld a middle-aged, partially bald man in a white lab coat.

“Hi,” he said, seeing that he got her attention, and stepped into the room with an outstretched hand. “So you are the new SG-7 commander!”

Alice smiled nervously and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you again, Doctor Lee.”

“And you, Captain!” He gestured around him. “So, how do you like it? It’s not exactly Atlantis, but, you know, it’s something.”

“I’m sure it will serve me well,” Alice replied diplomatically. It was clearly _not_ Atlantis; her lab in the City of the Ancients had been several hundred yards above the level of the ocean, with a huge window with a view on the south pier. Not to mention that it was full of Ancient tech, and a much nicer décor. “It’ll look better when I get some of my research in here.”

“Yes, it’s pretty bare, it’s stood empty for the last four years or so,” he remarked offhandedly.

“What was here before?” Alice asked, just to keep up the conversation.

“Oh, it’s always been a lab—it used to belong to Colonel Carter, but she’s off to command the _George Hammond_ , of course…”

“Oh.” So it was Carter’s old lab. Suddenly Alice looked at the walls with a little less antipathy, and realized that she felt a little flattered to be assigned this particular room—though, of course, it could’ve just meant that it was the first unused space they had.

“Yes, well, I’m sure she’d be glad that you of all people are taking over her old domain. She’s always spoken very highly of you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Oh, perfect, yet another high expectation to meet. She barely restrained the urge to roll her eyes.

A squeaking sound from the corridor interrupted the conversation, and a few seconds later an airman came in, pushing a little cart with a number of boxes on it. He stood at attention in front of Alice and only relaxed when she nodded to him.

“Ma’am, General Landry would like you to familiarize yourself with these documents before you report for a full briefing at fourteen hundred hours.”

Alice looked at the three or four boxes full of paper and sighed.

“Alright, put them on the table, please.” She turned to Lee. “I better get to work.”

“Of course, Captain, I’ll leave you to it. I’m just across the hall if you need anything,” he offered, smiled and left.

The airman finished hauling the boxes onto the table, nodded respectfully and wheeled the cart out. Alice picked up the first folder from the top, sat down on a high chair next to the table, and began reading.

*

The briefing, provided by Colonel Reynolds of the SG-3, did not reveal anything new to Alice in terms of recent developments in the Milky Way galaxy; it was all covered in the documentation Alice had received. However, Reynolds did offer some tips and pointers on life on the base—some as trivial as what the meal schedule was, others of more weight like the quarantine procedures in case the team became exposed to any chemical or biological agents while off-world. He was the second in command after General Landry, which Alice found curious, because he was only SG-3’s leader; meanwhile, the flag team’s commander, Colonel Mitchell, came in third. This was, of course, consistent with the military protocol, since Reynolds had seniority over Mitchell, even though they were of the same rank now; but it still seemed a little counterintuitive to her.

At the end of the briefing—which lasted almost three full hours—Reynolds dismissed Alice for the day, which surprised her. She had thought she’d at least meet her team that day, but Reynolds explained that they were currently off-world, providing support to a mining operation, and wouldn’t be back until next week.

“Oh, fun,” Alice commented offhandedly, thinking that it was a little weird: with eight years of experience in the Stargate Program—or five, if one discounted the time she’d spent at the Air Force Institute of Technology—she was stuck on the base while the butterbar fresh off the training was off-world, effectively leading the team.

“It’s a good experience for Lieutenant Rodriguez,” Reynolds said, as if he could read Alice’s thoughts. “We’ve had that mining facility for over two years now and nothing bad ever happened there, and it’s headed by Colonel Andrews, so they’re in good hands.”

With that cleared up, he said goodbye and left to attend to his other duties. Alice felt very odd to be going home at five in the afternoon—though she’d been on the base since eight in the morning, so it wasn’t like she didn’t do a full workday.

Deanna was already home—her car was sitting in the driveway, which was strange because they agreed to park in the garage. At first Alice dismissed it, thinking that maybe she just stopped at home for a moment and meant to leave soon, but then, when she slowed down to pull up next to Dee’s clunker, she noticed a man standing at the front door—and pounding on it furiously. He was tall and large—not muscled, though, just massive—and wore loose-fitted clothing that made him seem even bigger.

Alice changed her mind and parked on the curb. She reached into the glove box and pulled out her personal Glock 19. She tucked it in her waistband, at the small of her back, and let her shirt cover it. Then she calmly walked up to the front door, where the man was still pounding on the wood and calling Deanna’s name.

“Excuse me, can I help you, sir?” Alice asked in a measured tone, but she must have surprised him because he visibly jumped and turned around. He would’ve been handsome, Alice decided, if his face wasn’t contorted in rage.

“Leave me alone,” he grumbled at her, his voice loud and gruff. “It’s none of your business!”

“Well, seeing as you’re pounding on the door to my house, I’d say it kinda is, though,” Alice remarked serenely.

“That’s your place?” He turned and looked up at the building. “And Dee’s living here with you?”

“Technically, it’s rented,” Alice replied without acknowledging the second question. “Now, let me ask you again, can I help you?”

“I want to speak to Dee.” He put his fist on the door, but gently, and his voice sounded a little less angry, too. “She won’t talk to me, but I know she’s in there. You hear me!” He shouted suddenly and beat on the wood again. “I know you’re in there, Dee! Come out!”

“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” Alice said, putting all of the authority she could muster in her tone—and it was considerable. It made him look back at her with a puzzled expression on his face. “Clearly, Dee doesn’t want to speak to you. You will have to contend with your disappointment and _leave_.” She stressed the final word and sent him a menacing look.

It threw him a little, she saw. He towered over her by more than a foot, and was easily twice as heavy as her, and yet her glaring eyes made him pause. She almost smiled at that realization.

“But I came all the way here,” he protested, but rather feebly. His fist was still firmly planted on the door, though. “I just found out where she was, it wasn’t easy, and I came all the way…”

“I’m sorry that you wasted a trip.” Alice’s voice became a little warmer, despite her trying to remain stern. “Perhaps, next time, call ahead.”

“She won’t take my calls. I called and called…”

At that moment, the door suddenly opened and he lost his balance and nearly fell.

Deanna appeared at the threshold and looked down at him with an air of sad indulgence.

“Oh, Lamar, what am I gonna do with you?”

“Dee!” He called, and a rush of emotion was clearly audible in his voice.

“So I take it you know this gentleman?” Alice asked, just as a formality.

Deanna shifted her haze to her and nodded with an inscrutable expression.

“Yeah, I do. It’s alright, Alice. I’ll talk to him. You can go on in.”

“You sure?” Alice threw a glance at Lamar and then looked back at Deanna and was suddenly struck by how tall they both were, and how small she was compared to them. For a second, she felt young and helpless, but then reasserted herself: both Dee and Lamar were at least five years her junior.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thanks.”

“Shout if you need me,” Alice told her, shot a last warning glance at the man, and then walked past Deanna and into the house. The door closed behind her and, if any conversation ensued, she couldn’t hear it.

In her room, she put on a pair of sweats and a top, but, after some debate, left the gun in a drawer of the bedside table. Then she went back down and out the door, putting her headphones in and looking around—but neither Dee, nor Lamar were anywhere to be seen. A bit worried, despite Deanna’s earlier apparent confidence, Alice started jogging, first one way to the end of the cul-de-sac, and then the other way, past their house and up the road. To her relief, from that vantage point she saw them strolling around the backyard, apparently deep in conversation.

She returned half an hour later, a bit out of breath and all sweaty—she was still feeling the consequences of her foray into the future: the malnutrition and the effects of rapid decompression as much as the wound. Not to mention that she had been used to running in the flat corridors of Atlantis, or on a treadmill; here the ground was anything but flat, and the entire city was something like six thousand feet or more above the sea level.

Lamar was no longer there, but Deanna was waiting on the step of the front door. She got to her feet when she saw Alice approaching.

“You’ve already been jogging this morning. Isn’t this a bit much?” She asked with a knowing smile.

Alice faltered for a second. “I, uh, just wanted to use the extra time. I got home so early and all…”

Deanna laughed. “Sure. And you surely didn’t go running up the road just so you could keep an eye on me and Lamar.”

Alice smiled, a bit flustered. “Of course not, why would you think that?”

Deanna chuckled again and then opened the door and walked in. “Go, take a shower, I’ll finish making dinner.”

Alice heeded her advice and twenty minutes later she walked back into the kitchen, part of her hair up in a little bun, part tucked behind her ears (as it was too short to reach the elastic), and wearing leggings and an oversize t-shirt with a band logo.

“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” Deanna announced, seeing Alice enter. “Italian pasta with pesto sauce and broccoli alright?”

“Sounds delicious,” Alice replied, taking a seat on one of the stools at the island. “You know you don’t need to cook for me, though, do you?”

“Nonsense!” Deanna laughed, dancing around the kitchen. “I came home first, so I cook, that’s clear. Plus, it’s my way of saying thank you for letting me live in this gorgeous house with you!”

Alice rolled her eyes, but didn’t comment. Deanna didn’t like silence, though.

“You a fan?” She asked pointing at Alice’s t-shirt.

“Huh?” Alice looked down at it and then smiled warmly. “Oh, yes, I am.”

“I thought so, that’s, like the third time I’ve seen you in a Dead Man’s Eyes t-shirt, and we’ve only been here for three days.”

“Yeah, you’ll see more of that, I’m afraid,” Alice laughed. “I have _tons_ of their merch.”

“That big of a fan, huh?” Deanna’s smile was a little condescending, Alice thought.

“You don’t like them?”

“I like a couple songs, but it’s not really my cup of tea,” Deanna said dismissively, getting plates from a cupboard. She put them on the kitchen island and then leaned in, striking a pose, and added: “I’m all Rihanna and Beyoncé, baby!”

Alice shook her head, smiling. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“Because you look at me and you go, _uhm uhm, that girl is a queen!_ ”

They both laughed at that. Deanna turned around to grab the cutlery.

“So if you’re a queen, does that make Lamar a former king?” Alice asked after a moment.

Deanna sighed, but she was smiling. “You kept that question under the rug for long, didn’t you?” She put the cutlery next to the plates and went back to check on the pasta. She continued with her back turned to Alice. “I’ve been with Lamar since we was both in school. My high-school sweetheart, you could call him. He’s not a bad guy. I know why you reacted the way you did—he’s big and menacing, I know this, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was just upset, that’s all.”

“Well, it didn’t seem like you wanted to talk to him, and he was really pounding on that door…” Alice felt a need to offer some explanation, but it felt too much like an excuse so she decided to shut up.

Deanna wasn’t fazed. “I was still deciding whether to talk to him or not when you came home. I think I’d’ve done it anyway…” She hesitated for a moment, freezing for just two seconds with a strainer in hand. “But your coming made the decision easier for sure.”

They lapsed into silence for a moment, for Deanna focused on serving the pasta. Once seated, they dug in and ate quietly for a while, but “quiet” wasn’t Deanna’s natural state.

“I moved in with Lamar as soon as I turned eighteen. My parents had gotten divorced when I was twelve and I lived with my mom. I didn’t like her new boyfriend.” She sighed, looking at a strand of pasta hanging from her fork as if it was offering some secret knowledge. “Now I wish I had gone to live with dad—but I wanted to show them how grown up I was, you see… my daddy died later that year, but I was already living with Lamar. And it was great for a long while, but with time, we sort of… grew apart.” She paused to grab some more pasta and put it in her mouth. She swallowed and then continued: “We turned into two different people. I guess that’s what real growing up is about. Eventually, I decided that we became too toxic for each other… he was clingy and jealous, and I was always babying him, it wasn’t good for either of us. So I decided to break it up. But I knew if I stayed in Denver, he’d find a way to get me back eventually… and so here I am!”

“A fresh start.” Alice nodded.

Deanna smiled joyfully. “That’s right. I didn’t think it would be quite so easy for Lamar to find me, I guess my mother must have told him where I lived, even though I asked her not to… she has a soft heart, my mama.”

“I’m sure she meant well,” Alice agreed. “So what did you tell him today?”

“The same as I already had.” The younger girl shrugged. “The truth. I hope this time it got through to his thick head… but you!” She chuckled and shook her head at Alice. “I don’t know if I should feel exasperated with you, or pleased that you care so much for me.”

Alice’s answering smile was pretty wan. “I’m sorry.” She sighed. “With the kind of job I do, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is a threat.”

“What is it that you actually do, though? You never said.” Deanna looked at her expectantly.

Alice closed her eyes for just a little longer than a blink. Here came the lying… “I can’t really tell you that,” she replied, keeping her tone light. “But I _can_ tell you that I used to be a fighter pilot.”

“Shut the front door!” Deanna exclaimed, nearly spitting out a mouthful of pasta. “A _fighter_ pilot?! You fly actual fighters?!”

“Not anymore.” Alice smiled wistfully. “But I did for a long while. F-16 at first, and then some others.”

“Wow.” Deanna couldn’t stop shaking her head in disbelief. “That is extremely cool. There aren’t that many pilots, are there?”

“In the Air Force, all told? Around fifteen hundred, I think. Out of this, maybe three thousand are fighter pilots. There’s actually a big shortage of pilots right now, with around ten percent of fighter and bomber billets vacant.”

“Billets?”

“Positions,” Alice translated with a lopsided smile. It’s been a while since she had to explain such basic things to anyone.

“So if there’s such a big shortage, why aren’t you flying anymore?” Deanna pushed her empty plate away and reached for a glass of water.

“It’s complicated,” Alice replied curtly, but then decided to add: “My specific skills and experience are needed elsewhere now.”

“What skills?”

Alice laughed. “You are relentless in your curiosity, aren’t you?”

Deanna made a face at her. “You might as well get used to it! And don’t change the subject!”

“Well, like I said—I can’t tell you anything specific. Literally, can’t—it’s classified. But I _can_ tell you that I have a PhD in Computer Engineering, with specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.”

Deanna’s jaw dropped—the girl was very expressive. It made Alice think of Bolton again. He was always fidgeting around and gesticulating wildly, much like Dee.

“Whoa! I knew you went to college—you told me, I think—but a PhD?! So does that mean that you’re actually _Doctor_ Boyd?”

Alice smiled and nodded. “In the civilian world, yes. But I got the degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology—had already been an airman for three years before that, so I’m not really used to that title. Everyone just calls me by rank, or by name.”

“Captain Boyd sounds equally proud.” Deanna smirked.

“Right.” Alice resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Anyway, speaking of which—I did mention that I was being promoted, didn’t I?” And, without waiting for Dee’s reply, she continued: “My pinning-on ceremony is planned for this Thursday, it’s gonna be combined with a decoration ceremony. My mom’s coming for the occasion—you don’t mind if she stays in the spare bedroom, do you?”

“What? Of course not, silly!” Deanna laughed lightly. “That’s why you wanted the spare room, after all. I’d love to meet your mama!”

“Good, thank you. Of course, you’re invited as well—I’d be honored if you could come,” Alice offered with a warm smile.

“Oh, really? That’s very sweet of you—but I should be working…”

“Oh, I’m sure your boss will let you go for a few hours, won’t he? I’ll understand, of course, if he doesn’t,” she rushed to assure her. “But it would be really great if you could come.”

“If I can, I’ll be there!” Deanna promised solemnly. “But will I and your mama be the only civilians there?”

“No, no,” Alice reassured her. “There’s gonna be a few civilians from work, if they can get here—and my best friend from Los Angeles is coming down with his son, too.”

“Oh?” Deanna looked surprised. “I thought… no, nevermind.”

Alice smirked. “Yeah, I know. You thought I don’t have any friends outside of work. But I’ve known this friend since I was a toddler, we grew up on the same street, attended school together and all. It’s been challenging to keep in touch since then, what with me constantly away, but we’ve stayed friends over the years.” She laughed. “He’s also my Dead Man’s Eyes merch dealer, you know.” She pointed at her t-shirt.

“How do you mean?”

Alice just tapped a spot on the shirt, but seeing complete lack of understanding on Dee’s face, she explained: “He’s the band’s frontman. Aaron Starr.”

“You’re best friends with Aaron Starr?!”

“Like I said, we grew up on the same block. I know all the band—with the exception of Jeff, who joined after my brother left, we all went to the same school.”

“Your brother was in the band?!”

“Yeah, back when it was five of them in Aaron’s basement.” Alice smiled, the memory coloring her voice with warmth. “But, after graduating high school, my brother joined the Marines and Aaron and the band went on to college and continued to play. That’s when Jeff joined them to replace the missing guitar.”

Deanna shook her head disbelievingly. “You are full of surprises, Alice Boyd.”

“You don’t even know,” Alice agreed and got to her feet. “Alright, you cooked so I’ll do the dishes.”


End file.
